What dynamic sitting means for your floor
Regular exercise is good and important for healthy and relaxed sitting. Especially if you pay attention to dynamic sitting, you will be with your Office chair Roll around a lot at your workplace. Not only your chair, but especially the floor is stressed. Your body weight is usually pressed onto the floor via 5 points, the rollers, and this point load quickly causes scratches and other signs of wear. The right selection Office chair wheels is therefore essential to prevent unsightly scratches and minimize abrasion. Such signs of wear cannot be completely avoided over the years. But by using the right roles, they can definitely be reduced significantly. We explain to you in our article what counts as “intended use” and what does not Damage caused by chair castors.
Which office chair wheels for which floor?
Basically, a distinction must be made between soft and hard floors. For hard floors you need “hard floor rollers” and for soft floors you need “soft floor rollers”. To help you orientate yourself better, we have created a table for you:
| Soil type | Hard floor roller | Soft floor roll |
| Vinyl floor / PVC | ✓ | ✗ |
| Wood/parquet | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laminate | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tiles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Stone floor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carpet | ✗ | ✓ |
| carpeting | ✗ | ✓ |
| felt | ✗ | ✓ |
| Linoleum | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cork |
✗ |
✓ |
Hard floor rollers, sometimes also called parquet rollers or soft rollers, are characterized by their soft rubberized surface. They are particularly soft and therefore ideal for hard floors. Typical hard floors include wooden parquet, laminate, tiles, vinyl flooring (PVC) and similar rigid surfaces. The soft rubber coating on the wheels prevents scratches, reduces abrasion and ensures whisper-quiet rolling noises.
Soft floor rolls, sometimes also called carpet floor rolls or hard rolls, have a consistently solid surface. They are used on particularly soft soils. The classic is any form of carpet or other carpeting, but these rolls are also well suited for linoleum and cork floors. Where hard floor rollers would not move properly, soft floor rollers offer enough stability to move forward.
What roles does my office chair have?
Pretty much all office chairs come with soft floor casters as standard. The two types of roles can be easily distinguished visually. Soft floor rolls are plain, according to the DIN standard EN 12527.
Hard floor rolls, on the other hand, are manufactured in two colors.
| Example of a hard floor roller | Example of a soft floor roll |
 |
 |
There are also roller models that are made entirely of rubber. These can be quickly recognized by their shine and are hard floor casters. Another way to determine the type of role is the “fingernail test”. Try to press in the surface of the roller with your fingernail using just a little force. If the surface gives way, it is a hard floor roller. Be sure to use the right casters to protect your floors and keep them for as long as possible.
Universal rollers – the panacea?
There are some “universal reels” on the market, although they are not as universal as their name suggests. They are neither particularly hard nor particularly soft, which makes them suitable for many floors. However, our experience shows that they are too hard for particularly sensitive or flexible floors such as parquet and vinyl. On the other hand, they don't roll properly on high-pile carpet. Only tiles, stone and low-pile carpet are suitable for this type of roll. They are only practical if the office chair switches back and forth between these materials frequently. If your office chair remains in place, we always recommend using hard or soft floor casters that match the floor.
Stable wheels for heavy tasks
Even with the cheapest plastic wheels, a carrying weight of 20kg can be assumed per chair roll. With five feet, that's 100kg, although the chair itself has to be taken into account. If you have a slightly stronger build or your herding dog likes to make itself comfortable on your lap, you should use wheels with an appropriate load limit. Please see the weight information contained in the product description.
When changing chair castors – pay attention to the pin size
When purchasing, be sure to choose the correct size of the mounting pins so that you can mount your rollers safely. The two diameter standards, 10mm and 11mm, cannot be distinguished from one another with the naked eye, even in direct comparison. In some cases a 10mm thread (M10) is also used. The pen length also needs to be taken into account. Before you buy, take a look at your instructions for use or ask your dealer. If you have bought your office chair from us or discovered your swivel chair in our range, we will of course be happy to help you.
Caliper - this is how you determine the correct pin size
Since the two standard diameters are just one millimeter apart, it is very important to measure them precisely, otherwise the castors will not be compatible with the base. Even if the difference is hardly noticeable, it is significant for the fit. To select the right office chair castors, first pull the existing caster out of the base. Then use the caliper to determine the pin diameter. A standard caliper is particularly suitable for this. This can easily be purchased online. By using a caliper you can avoid making bad purchases. To do this, measure the diameter in the middle of the pin to find the right roller for your office chair.
Swap desk chair roles
If you have decided on new roles, we will show you in our accompanying article, including a video, how you can quickly and easily get yours Be able to change roles on the office chair.
Floor protection mats for additional protection
If you want to protect your valuable parquet floor in the office or home office from wear and tear, we have a good idea for you: just use one of our robust ones Floor protection mats.
This means that only the mat is worn out and your beautiful floor remains safe and protected. You should definitely use hard floor rollers on such protective mats. In addition to parquet floors, offices with carpets can also be wonderfully protected from annoying coffee stains or roller marks.
Workplace security – only with the right roles
When you use the right chair casters, you can rest on your Office chair leave. This reduces the risk of accidents that would occur, for example, with soft floor rolls on vinyl. Here the office chair could roll away far too easily and quickly, which could quickly lead to an involuntary fall when sitting down. We would therefore definitely recommend that you choose the right ones Office chair wheels to grab.
Office chairs with braked casters provide additional protection. Their brakes block the wheels when the chair is not loaded, thereby preventing it from accidentally rolling away. As soon as you sit, your weight releases the rollers and you can roll around as usual.
For ESD workshops – protection against static discharge
If you work with electronic devices and have to take static charge into account, think about your chair castors here too. We offer you special ESD chair castors for exactly this purpose. These are conductive and, provided the appropriate floor covering is used, allow grounded work. This prevents static discharge on sensitive devices.
5x ROLO ESD 10mm/50mm hard floors - chair castors black
Black streaks on the floor - because of the underfloor heating?
We can reassure you that your underfloor heating is not the reason for black streaks on the floor. You most likely use soft floor rollers on parquet or another hard floor. If this is the case, the chair caster rubs off due to the mechanical stress, which can lead to unsightly streaks. The heat from the underfloor heating has nothing to do with it. In this case, we recommend that you switch to hard floor casters. If you want to optimally protect your floor, we also recommend using one Floor protection mat.
Do you want to know more?
In our guide you will find further interesting content on the broad topic of sitting. Of course, we are also happy to provide you with advice and assistance: via telephone, email or online chat. We are here for you and look forward to hearing from you!